Matthew Prescott

What skills did you gain that you found to be advantageous from being part of the group?Some of the skills I gained were learning how to structure, execute, and document research. I also learned of the discipline around sustaining data integrity, data interpretation, and the ensuing “debate” among colleagues to form a conclusion.

What are you doing now?

I have a twenty year career in Management Consulting, Executive Development, Talent Management, and Training predominantly within the financial services industry. Culminated with a MS degree in Organizational Psychology.Do you have any tips for current lab members?I have many; First develop an appreciation and understanding of the seemingly mundane facets of research. Secondly, do not assume there is only one dominant contributing factor to human behavior (in the context of behavioral research). Ask many, many questions – of the research, the researcher, lab colleagues, and yourself, trite advice as it may be, it is better to come out of a stint of research humbled by learning what you do not know rather than the opposite. Be comfortable or at least patient with the tedium; not all the work will yield eureka moments. Finally keep one eye on the lab and one eye on the external world; I other words, look for organically replicated events in daily social encounters that mirror the research. It makes the work more interesting, more relevant, and trains your eye as a researcher.